Feature: Ramona Falls

So, with the adage in mind that brevity is the soul of wit, I'll keep this short and to the point:

Ramona Falls's album "Intuit" is easily one of the greatest albums I've heard in a long, long time.

"But how's that possible?" you might ask. "I thought music like that was a myth these days...like unicorns, and 12 grain bread that doesn't taste like squirrels?"

I was beginning to think so too, but apparently I was being preemptively cynical. The closest analogy I can think of for what listening to this album has been like is probably like the first time you heard an amazing indie pop song (it could've been the Pixies, or Franz Ferdinand's "Dark of the Matinee", or it could've not) and were astounded that such amazing music could exist without you knowing about it (before you got all jaded and contracted that nasty case of elitism). Or maybe the first time you heard "Perfect From Now On" by Built to Spill on vinyl and got the shivers, so excited that you just wanted to tell everyone on Earth about it. Y'know, until you remembered that you had no indie friends. Or even that time you saw Sunset Rubdown and Frog Eyes live and realized that probably nothing in your life would ever top seeing Spencer play the opening riff of "Swimming" like a madman possessed by the ghost of another madman.

It's kinda something like that, but even more so because it's probably been ages since you felt so excited and genuinely moved and passionate about an album. An album with not just an all-around great showing and a few songs that make you nerd out, but where almost every song makes you want to actually update that music blog you've been ignoring off-and-on for ages.

Ramona Falls is one third of Menomena (Brent Knopf), as well as a stellar showing of Portland's musical talent, all rolled into possibly the greatest thing on Barsuk other than Menomena itself. And even then, it's a close contest.

I hate to hype, but every once in a while, it's worth it. And who knows, I could come to regret it later, but just for now, I'm going to believe in unicorns and the existence of healthy bread that doesn't taste like a hermit's beard and go with my gut on this one.


~Ju

Ramona Falls
video of "I Say Fever" (also the only song I've played that has had everyone CONSISTENTLY ask me what it is within minutes of hearing it)
on Myspace Music
on the Web

P.S: the new Menomena is out now as well; worth checking out
on Myspace Music
on the Web

Feature: Sleepy Sun

The usual apologies aside, I figured I'd just jump right into this one by explaining a little bit how things happen behind the scenes here at WHYH. It goes a little something like this:

I get a torrential flood of e-mail in my inbox. Some of it is music-related. Most are mass newsletter-type deals from various indie record labels, half of which I never signed up for (and, oddly, a lot of them are from the UK). And, I'll be honest, these press release-type e-mails probably only get read about 50% of the time.

Why?

Because I do this on my free time, and as such I don't think it should feel like work to check out a band rec. And because personally, newsletters feel like someone typed up a generic thing and hit the "send" button, then clocked out, went home, and didn't think about it until Monday. Like any other job.

Thus, the fastest way for a band to get my attention is a personal recommendation/suggestion. One specifically addressed to me. Even something as simple as "possible feature?" will get me interested, because I know the person writing the e-mail has actually taken the time to promote said band in a way that demonstrates that they actually give a crap.

Wouldn't you rather listen to a band that someone lovingly cares about enough to write personalized e-mails to even the smallest music blogs?

I thought so.

Such is the case with Sleepy Sun. Oddly, they don't seem like the type of band that would need such personal devotion on the part of their reps to sell them; a Californian band (already a head-start) with an album coming out on ATP June 1st (yes, that ATP), and their tour schedule reads like a map of locations off the North American continent I would go to if I didn't owe the government way too much money for deigning to educate myself. They've got a massive early Sonic Youth-type guitar sound that alone should be enough to convert even the most jaded listeners. I would even venture to state that Sleepy Sun is my favourite new (to me) band of 2010, music that I legitimately like without justification by comparison.

Yes, this seems like the premier example of a band where your average rep would just think a batch promo to half the music blogs on the internet would be enough.

Even so, there it was: a personal request that I check out their upcoming gig at this year's Sled Island and hopefully dig them enough to maybe mention them in the wrap-up. How could I NOT go out of my way to take a listen, even when the added download link didn't work?

I'm glad I did; songs like "White Dove" and "Red/Black" are right up my alley; grungy edged things with enough knowledge of composition to keep their dissonance/raunchy guitar from falling into chaos, and enough hidden melodic hooks to keep the balance interesting. If their upcoming album, Fever, is anything like this, I'll definitely be picking it up.

For those in the Calgary area (or, you know, anywhere in Alberta, you really have no excuse), these guys are playing Sled Island July 1st @ The Telus World of Science...a venue which I personally wish would host bands more often.



Sleepy Sun

On the Web: http://www.sleepysun.net

On Myspace Music: http://www.myspace.com/sleepysun


~J

Feature: The Drones

So, I now know why writers keep little notebooks stashed about their persons; it keeps you from forgetting things like where you put the prune juice and whether or not you've left your glasses ontop of your head again.

In this vein, I totally had something interesting and meaningful to say about the state of music/a point to make on the debate going on over at http://www.x929.ca/shows/newsboy/?p=1417#comment-911 about whether or not the Calgary music scene is stagnating, but it seems to have vacated my brain like the concepts of simple human interaction, decency, and taste have vacated the mainstream music vending business. >.>

So, instead of ranting on about how the scene isn't stagnant, rather we've all gotten lazy and old and self-conscious about jumping around at shows, or about how The Noseholes could have been GREAT had they not broken up (unrelated, but it would've ended up in there anyway), I will instead suck it up like the BAMF I wish I was and tell you about The Drones.

First of all, The Drones are, indirectly, the reason why I joined this blog and consequently ended up keeping it limpingly, ever so slightly alive when Sheez and Phil jumped ship. And yes, I even suppose I knew about them back then, but it's all a little hazy in the manner of timing since it all happened when I was a doe-eyed, impressionable, and insatiably enthusiastic music hunter trying to track down literally every band mentioned by Kurt Cobain, ever.

No, he didn't mention the Drones, but we'll get to how the two are related.

Through this music-hunting process, I quickly began to realize that exposure wasn't always proportional to quality when it came to music, even in the indie community. Some bands would get huge just based on a good pitchfork review, and others would have their precious hopes dashed by a mediocre one. Some had good reviews and seemed to get the shaft anyway, while others had crap reviews and STILL had legions of fans (I'm looking at YOU, The Killers). This bothered me.

Thus, when I was offered a spot writing on the blog, I took it as a chance to help spread love of those bands whom I thought didn't get the kind of love they deserved (You'll remember that my first ever post was pushing The Wipers, who are still criminally overlooked even by punks who should know better). Of course, once it was only me writing and updating I couldn't just focus on that area, but I always thought about it anyway.

(See? I told you it'd all come together)

The Drones are just such a band. Despite generally favourable coverage by Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, you still have to go very far out of your way indeed to actually find a person in the real world who's heard of them. (As far as Australia, I believe, but don't quote me on that)

Maybe it's a case of a name affecting your chances, maybe just bad luck, but really, this band is wonderful. And no, they don't do sludge rock or rock out on the bagpipes, thanks for asking. Lyrically, their music is at times beer-soaked and at other times introspective, image-laiden and charmingly sung in a clearly Australian accent...on that note, it's frankly WONDERFUL to hear a band sing unabashedly the way they speak without trying to sound accessibly American. Jangly guitars create raucus Pixie-esque rockers to melodic, acoustic-friendly ballads (of the non-annoying variety). And best of all, the style changes between songs so that you never feel like you're listening to the same song on repeat for twenty minutes.

Lastly, it has staying power...the first time I heard 'Sharkfin Blues' from their "Wait Long By The River ..." album, I loved it. It's now been five years, and hearing it again, it's still just as lovable and brilliant as it was back in high school.

Odds are, if you go out and look for their albums in a record store, you probably won't have much luck finding a full selection. Luckily, the band also distributes the albums through their site directly, which I'd generally recommend people do anyway.

So, to sum up: this band is a) wonderful, b)underrated, and c)deserving of every penny and enthusiastic comment that may or may not convince them to include Canada in their journeys *hint hint* Check 'em out!

~Ju


The Drones can be found:

On the web: http://www.thedrones.com.au
On Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thedronesthedrones

Feature: Stagehands - Broadway Rock, You Say?

*scene: a dark stage. suddenly, a single spotlight flickers to life, illuminating...an empty chair. From somewhere, a familiar voice begins to speak.*

Ju: ...

*sounds of shuffling, and one sharp microphone squeal*

Ju: -this thing on? Hello? Okay, we're good. Sorry everyone. Sheesh...here I was going to be all dramatic...I guess Chad Vangaalen is the only person that can make technical difficulties charming.

*polite cough interrupts*

Ju: Okay, got it...move this thing along. Here's the bit where I apologize for being largely absent from the blogosphere for ages, and give the usual "I'm an illustrator, and a few hours sleep comes before writing anything more involved than a post-it note. BUT! If you want to see what I've been doing...here! A peace offering in the form of illustrations about toilet squids!"

page 1
page 2 - spread

Ju: Now that I've thoroughly managed to confuse and befuddle the issue, I see fit to actually get to the point, being why I've decided to update the blog. Also, why I decided to try something new out with the theatrical setup (whether or not it failed is irrelevant; I guess I've always been better suited to backstage work).

The point here is Stagehands, a self-styled "Broadway rock" band from Toronto with both aspirations of creating something just a little bit different and bringing back that good ole thing called "narrative" that us illustrators are oh-so-fond of (and which has been missing from music in general, with a few exceptions).

I'm not going to lie; I thought long and hard about how to swing this; how do you go about featuring and describing a band that says it's not exactly a band, but also a production that claims influences from sources as diverse as Nightmare Before Christmas and Green Day? I agonized on this point for a bit, until I realized that frankly, the idea speaks for itself. Admittedly, the idea could fall flat on its face if not executed properly; the tough thing about walking the line between several genres is that you run the risk of losing your point.

Take Visual Kei, for example. A genre I have problems with in general, because I've never been a fan of bands that put fashion above music (grunge school graduate speaking here, of course). I always figured that if a band is good, the music should speak for itself, even if everyone looks like they just got up and threw on whatever was on hand. On the other hand, I've always loved theatre, which the VK bands claim to be influenced by.

Ay, there's the rib.

Or the rub, even.

Point is, looking at what Stagehands does, they succeed where all those VK bands fail, because their music is more about embracing the aspects of theatre and narrative than about using it as a gimmick. It's not about costumes, it's about NARRATIVE. Because theatre (and even music) is storytelling, and stories are always better when visual and auditory and sensory things collide with a decidedly satisfying "clang". What VK bands do is fashion, what stagehands does is theatre (with enough of a rock injection to make it exciting for those who think music + theatre = Gilbert & Sullivan, or worse yet, jazz hands, Mamma Mia! and Stage West for the Calgarian set...*shudder of horror*).

Stagehands's album, "The Silent City", actually has a storyline. A kickaxe one which I would give my eye teeth to illustrate as a graphic novel, actually. It's got the meta-level of being about a songwriter, a fantasy setting, masks, an evil-yet-charming Mayor who controls an entire city, the battle between individuality and fame...this is some serious Tim Burton sh*t right here. In fact, my drawing hand is itching to start on designs for characters as we speak (makes it exceedingly difficult to type, if you must know).

While I know that there's been narrative concept albums before, the difference is, this band actually theatrically inclined enough to perform the thing as a production rather than a concert. (In fact, I'm not-so-patiently checking their touring schedule to see if they might come anywhere close to the lonesome crowded west...>.>)

In this world of endlessly referential acts that "sound like ___" or "are a mix of band x and band y with an injection of genre z", where PR obscures the music with a blizzard of buzzwords and meaningless categorization, it's nice to see someone genuinely try to come up with something a little bit different.

~Ju


Stagehands:
website
on Myspace

Feature: The Golden Dogs

Hey all...Ju here. And no, I am not, in fact, dead.

I am UNdead. As in, the witch administrators of art school killed me with cut paper assignments, then resurrected my corpse for their own, evil purposes.

*shrugs* You'll all get used to the change eventually. I already have; you wouldn't BELIEVE how much you save on food when all you consume is human flesh. In fact...I highly doubt you'll even notice the difference.

Anyways, my new lifestyle is not the topic here. What IS the topic is The Golden Dogs...a wonderful rock/pop/indie band from Toronto. Which means, of course, that they're right close-by. And they tour, once in a while. ^^

Not for those who require every member of the band to possess and eight octave singing range and the lungs of a sherpa, but the rest of you should be just fine. Bouncy and exuberant music, without ever being trite or overly studied. The one impression you get when listening to these songs is that somewhere in the world...people still have fun making music.

I know. I thought fun was dead, too. O_o

Jangling guitarwork over female/male vocals with more hooks than an Alberta slaughterhouse (I lied. You WILL be able to tell the difference, what with the disturbing imagery >.>)...you've heard it all before. And while the Golden Dogs never sound like something you've never heard coming through your eardrums before, it's a good thing. This is the kind of pop music that doesn't get made much, anymore, and trust me, it's nice to have it back.

Also, the absent Philip once told me that they sounded like the Ramones. Which is a bald-faced lie, but a comparison like that can never be a bad sign, since THAT band wrote some of the loopiest pop music ever. *grins*

The Golden Dogs can be found at their Myspace. Yes. Um...probably on a website, as well. They probably have a website, too. O_o

...

Wow, it's been so long I've forgotten how one commonly ends these things. A handshake? Is that...um...does that work?

*coughs*

>.>

~Ju

Slow Runner

I'm going to let these guys sum themselves up, rather then struggle to write something that not only describes the band's sound, but comes across coherently (and, in doing so, probably fail miserably.)

this is what we hope our music sounds like: interesting, lyrical pop music shot out into space, bouncing around the satellites and getting mixed in with all their beeping and blipping. like if r2-d2 had an aching heart and a love for the noisiest beatles songs. ideally, if you took out the depressing lyrics and substituted in educational stuff about sharing with others and the states and capitals, you could sit down at a piano and have a classroom of kids singing along within minutes. that’s the idea anyway. weird sounds get added later. and then we get to play live and see if we can make every heart in the room burst with pent-up feelings. it’s a good job.

Now, I've taken that from the Slow Runner website. Well, I think that about sums up all that there is to be said.

from No Disassemble
01. Break Your Mama's Back
02. Streamlined
03. Moody Suburban Teenage Love Song

Enjoy!

Teitur

I was going to hold off on this post until Ju finished her Folk Fest recap, however, somewhere along the way I decided not to. Impatience always wins, you see.

Teitur is from the Faroe Islands, which are somewhere between Norway and Iceland - the sheep islands, they're called. Now, I find this highly amusing, as the folk pop Teitur creates is so calming, it can calm you to the brink of sleep - just like counting sheep!

Har har, oh, the humour.

I have some songs for you from Teiturs first major album, Poetry & Airplanes, which was released in 2003. Since then he has dropped his old record label (Universal), and released Stay Under the Stars, but only in Scandinavia so far.

To me, Teitur is that warm cup of tea on a cold evening, or the cold drizzle of rain while the sun is still shining. He creates a soft sound, which just melts away everything hanging on your heart. Maybe this is why I can't drag myself away from his music long enough to listen to anything else. But that's enough from me, lets get to the music!

From Poetry & Airplanes (2003)
01. I Was Just Thinking
02. Sleeping With the Lights On
03. Poetry & Airplanes
[ buy the album from amazon.com]

Keep an eye out for Stay Under the Stars, which will be released in North America later this year. Until then, you can buy it here.

Marit Larsen

Mandolins, harmonicas, and banjos - oh my! Marit Larsen creates a folk-pop sound akin to what you'd get if you mixed Iron & Wine with P:Ano, with a dash of Sufjan for good measure.Hailing from Lorenskog, Norway, Marit Larsen made her first splash in the music biz in 1999, at the young age of 16. Together with Marion Raven, in the pop group M2M, they fought with acts like Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton to bring a more organic feel to the bubblegum pop that was dominating the masses at the time, by writing their own songs, and playing their own instruments. We all know how that movement went.

Fast forward 7 years, and we find Marit Larsen emerging from the hiatus she had been on since M2M's split in 2002. She's abandoned her bubblegum roots in favour of a more folk- country tinged sound. The irresistable melodies are still there, floating along with banjos, a mandolin, harmonicas, a cello...the list goes on. Larsen has created her own type of folk-pop, which is worthy of being anyone's guilty pleasure.

Under the Surface was released earlier this year, and so far, it is a Norway only release. The album ranges from being moody, and sensous ("Poison Passion", "Solid Ground") to sparky and fun ("Only a Fool", "The Sinking Game"). If there's such thing as the perfect pop record, Larsen has created it. But don't just take my word on it, listen for yourself:

From Under the Surface:
01. Don't Save Me
02. Only a Fool
03. Solid Ground
[buy the album from zailor.no, site in Norwegian]

That's all for now, kids -- enjoy!

Elliott Smith and Nick Drake

Now, who hasn't heard of Elliott Smith? No one important, that's for sure. However, we've still deemed it necessary to spread The Word.
Elliott Smith's fourth album was also his first on a major label. XO was released in August of 1998, and this is a must have album. I can't even coherantly speak about it; so I'm going to let the songs speak for themselves.

From Elliott Smith's XO:
01. Tomorrow, Tomorrow
02. Baby Britain
03. Bottle Up and Explode!
[buy XO from Amazon.ca]

Now, for Nick Drake. His third (and final) album is Pink Moon. It was recorded all in one evening, the only dubbing being added piano. It is a very emotional album, which must be experianced. It's the sort of cd for a rainy day, or a lonely moment. Drake's deep voice can sooth, but it can also rouse up emotions. Again, this is a must have cd.

From Nick Drake's Pink Moon:
01. Road [m4a]
02. Parasite [m4a]
[buy Pink Moon from amazon.ca]


I'm going to second all of Ju's apologies for the lack of posting for a while, but as she said, she was in Seattle; I've been doing school (oh, math is evil) and then Phil is MIA.

Enjoy!

Artist Profile: Do Make Say Think

First off, I'd like to apologize for WHYH glaring lack of posts this past week. I have especially been neglecting to update, but you will have to forgive us. It is just a busy time of the month for all of us here at We Hate Your Hate. Now, on to the profile...

Do Make Say Think is/was a Toronto band that has been described as everything from jazz, to electronica, to rock. They combine jazz style drums with electronic beats, all sorts of instruments and distorted guitars. Do Make Say Think was originally formed around 1995-1996 and have released four full length albums to date. At last count, the band consisted of five main members; Ohad Benchetrit, David Mitchell, James Payment, Justin Small and Charles Spearin.

The reason that I say that they are/where a Toronto band, is because, although the band never actually broke up, most of its members are involved almost completely in other projects. DMST's last album came out three years ago, in 2003, so it is possible that another album may be released, but to me it does not seem very likely. Charles Spearin and Ohad Benchetrit are involved heavily with Broken Social Scene.

However, even though this band may never come back, they do have four excellent albums and it is truly a shame that this band was never very big. If you are a fan of Explosions in the sky, then Do Make Say Think is definitely something you will want to look in to.

End of Music
Reitschule
War On Want
Auberge Le Mouton Noir (Recomended)

There is another Do Make Say Think song on the WHYH's Spring Mix Tape.

Artist Profile: Novillero

Novillero is a four piece band from Manitoba. They have two full length albums out; Aim Right For The Holes In Their Lives (2005) and Brindleford Follies (2004). Currently, Novillero is touring around western Canada so if you live out on this side of the country then you should go check them out. There is a full list of their concert dates on there website. They have a few tracks up there, as well as a few more at myspace and New Music Canada. Furthermore, you can listen to an in studio session of theirs over at CBC Radio 3.

Novillero is another fun band. Their songs are mostly upbeat, keyboard driven, pop melodies. If you like bands like the Lovely Feathers, Sloan, Hot Hot Heat or The New Pornographers, then Novillero is definitely for you.

Here are some songs off of Aim Right For The Holes In Their Lives :
Laissez-Faire System
The Hypothesist
The Art Of Carrying On
Abbey
Aptitude

And here are three tracks from Brindleford Follies:
Cat Scan
The Plaguing of An Ex-Comic's Mind
Stumble On